Graduation Year
2022
Date of Submission
4-2022
Document Type
Open Access Senior Thesis
Degree Name
Bachelor of Arts
Department
Philosophy and Public Affairs
Reader 1
Emily Pears
Terms of Use & License Information
Rights Information
© 2022 Harper B Rubin
Abstract
This thesis explores the relationship between the public and government institutions in the United States as a way to form good political leaders. While democracies rely on publics to elect responsible leaders who will act with their constituencies best interests in mind, best interests are not always clear. Furthermore, people are easily duped by demagogues and can be goaded into undermining important democratic institutions that protect rights and freedoms. This thesis first determines what the qualities of good leadership are. Then, it studies how the barriers to demagoguery envisioned by the American founders have deteriorated, partly due to changes in norms and partly due to technological advancements in mass communication. Finally, it provides a list of possible remedies to our decaying institutions and norms.
Recommended Citation
Rubin, Harper, "How to Vote Well: Rebuilding Barriers to Demagoguery and Incentivizing Responsible Leadership in the American Republic" (2022). CMC Senior Theses. 3014.
https://scholarship.claremont.edu/cmc_theses/3014
